MALAT 1

Corrisa Malat
Professor Fielding
WRTC 103_0029
17 September 2015
EDM Culture: A Genre, a Community, a Lifestyle
Electronic Dance Music, often referred to as, EDM, is a genre of music specifically
made for dance centered entertainment. Over the past two years, it has become all that I listen to
because it is never negative like a majority of the music we hear on the radio. EDM is always
upbeat and fun, and it truly deserves its name for it is to me as a charmer is to a cobra...I cannot
help but dance when I start hearing it. EDM itself however, is not what I want to focus on when
describing my group membership. I want to focus on the practices, behaviors, interactions, and
experiences within the EDM culture that I am a part of. Not a lot of people prefer EDM or have
experienced an EDM event, which is why this group membership is uniquely me. Despite the
bad wrap this culture gets from the media, I am proud to be apart of it. My involvement has
taught me how incredible people can be, making me want to learn more about each individual I
meet, how to view life on the glass half-full side, and most importantly, it has opened up my
eyes to who I want to be.
Before jumping into the specifics, it is important to understand how Electronic Dance
Music started and how it differs from other genres. While it is one of the newer developing
genres, it does root back further than we may think, starting with the Disco Era in the

MALAT 2
1970s-1980s. At that time, they may not have had the fancy production equipment that we do
now, but that does not mean performers like Jackson 5 and the Village People did not know how
to get a crowd dancing. The Disco Era may not have directly lead up to EDM, but it did
introduce unique sounds of electronically made music and the popularity of DJs rather than live
bands. With the right equipment, DJs are able to sample pieces of other songs or recorded sounds
and reuse it to make their own piece. DJs are also able to imitate real instruments by digitally
generating electrical signals through a synthesizer that then converts them into something
different ("Chapter 4: The Synthesis of Sound by Computer). These techniques have since
advanced, but were used to form EDM styles like; electro, industrial, freestyle, house, and techno
in the 1980s and 1990s (Disco). Like all types of music, Electronic Dance Music has always
been enjoyed at concerts, clubs, and festivals. These such places are where the EDM Culture
comes to life.
Anyone who likes Electric Dance Music can be a member of the EDM community, but
whether he or she accepts and contributes to the culture is up to them. I whole-heartedly accepted
and welcomed myself to the group as I felt I had found my place. The most amazing part about
this culture is the people in it and their genuine, kind nature. There is a specific Code of
Conduct followed by EDM lovers called, P.L.U.R. P.L.U.R. stands for Peace, Love, Unity, and
Respect. Before entering this culture, I thought the P.L.U.R. sounded cheesy and a bit
Elementary. But after just one EDM concert, I realized that the people in this community really
do live by those four words.

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P.L.U.R. is not only practiced through kind actions, but it is a part of a tradition within the
EDM Culture called Kandi Trading. People make Kandi, bracelets with song lyrics or positive
words/phrases on them, to trade with other people who have Kandi. In order to trade the
bracelets, a specific ritual that incorporates P.L.U.R. must be done. First, the two traders will
each hold up a peace sign with their hand and join their index and middle finger with the others
signifying Peace. Second, each trader will make a half heart shape with that same hand and put it
together with the other persons to make a complete heart signifying Love. Next, they will put
their hands together like a high-five to signify Unity. And lastly, the two traders will interlock
their hand with each other to signify Respect. When the hands are interlocked, each trader will
pick a piece of Kandi [bracelet] to give to the other and will slide it off of his/her hand and onto
the others. This ritual is a fun way to spread the love, meet new people, and collect new Kandi.

Aside from Kandi trading, EDM gatherings are known to have many other activities,
most of which are even therapeutic. Music itself relieves stress while increasing happiness, but
music is not so unique for a concert or festival to have. Specifically EDM events are unique
because they have countless therapeutic and fun activities such as; dancing, hola hooping,
singing, poi practice(Hand-held LED GlowSticks that create colored patterns when swung),
gloving(finger dancing with gloves that have LED fingertips), painting, yoga, and meditation.
Some do not feel comfortable participating in any practices, but watching others do them can be
just as gratifying.
One thing I find very amazing is that when I am at a festivals with forty thousand plus
people, I do not feel like I am surrounded by strangers. Of course almost every single one of

MALAT 4
them are strangers, however it is almost silently implied that we are all just unfamiliar friends.
Camping festivals are my favorite because they allow for strong bonds to be made with
neighboring campers. Unlike P.L.U.R., no acronym is needed for campers to know they should
help thy neighbor. For the three or four days at a camping festival I know I can count on my
temporary neighbors if I need anything from a bottle of water or sunscreen, to help with
dismantling my tent. At my latest camping festival, my neighbors actually went far beyond
sharing water and sunscreen. Within the four days of being together, we all got very close. By the
end of the first day, my canopy had already been connected to three others close by so we had a
large communal hang-out, and by the second day, my neighbors were waking us up with a plate
of eggs and bacon. This type of community was simply amazing and I do not know a single other
place where I could find one like it.
From what I have disclosed so far about members of the EDM Culture, some may think I
am blinded by rainbows and unicorns, which is not the case. I am not so naive to think that
everyone is so happy-go-lucky and in it for the love of the community. There are those who
come to EDM events with the intentions of drinking excessively or doing drugs. However, that is
not to say that the media does not blow things out of proportion, because they often times do.
Electric Dance Music is overly associated with the drugs Molly and Ecstasy because the effects
of MDMA, the major component of Molly and Ecstasy, are enhanced with pulsing beats, music,
colored lights, and contact with others. It just so happens that EDM events have all of those. Of
course not all EDM lovers do these drugs, but some do, with little responsibility until the point of
hospitalization and sometimes even death. That is how these negative stereotypes form over the

MALAT 5
rest of us. As a member of the EDM Culture, I take it upon myself to beat the stereotypes, and
spread knowledge of the genre and its positive practices to others.
As a newcomer, I did not immediately blend with the scene and all of the practices, but it
was the positivity from others that helped me get comfortable and break out of my shell. At my
first EDM concert seeing Afrojack, I was timid and a bit overwhelmed by the masses of people
along with the flashing lights and loud bass that surrounded me. A complete stranger came up to
me and gave me his sunglasses and said, Dont worry about all the people around you. Put these
on and you can pretend that no one can see you. Then you can dance however you want to. The
fact that a complete stranger went out of his way to make me feel comfortable made me
extremely happy and not long after that did I realize that this was the selfless nature of people in
the EDM Culture.
After experiencing and getting to know the incredibly positive atmosphere within the
EDM setting, I believe I have grown and will continue to grow as a better person. I am now more
understanding, accepting, and selfless. I now smile at every face I pass in my everyday life. I
now strive to carry a positive atmosphere with me wherever I go. But I will always remember the
extraordinary people I have met who have made these unforgettable impressions on me.

MALAT 6
Works Cited
"Chapter 4: The Synthesis of Sound by Computer." Music and Computers. Burk, n.d. Web. 20
Sept. 2015.
"Disco." New World Encyclopedia. N.p., 20 Aug. 2013. Web. 16 Sept. 2015.
"EDM History." EDMMUSICJUNKIES. N.p., 2015. Web. 16 Sept. 2015.